Microscope RPG--World of Heroes: Scene: The Tournament of Heroes

From RPGnet
Jump to: navigation, search


Scene: The Tournament of Heroes[edit]

Tone: (to be determined).

Focus: The Origins of Factions

(Yadal)



Question: Who won the Tournament of Heroes?


Mandated characters:

  • Long-established Veteran competitor. Chosen by Glyptodont: Tan Xin, veteran warrior who feels he never rose to his full potential.
  • Newbie Competitor who's actually very good but who for some reason is greatly underestimated. Chosen by Tedster: Chuluun Bao, champion of the Ongsan Cheng tribe(?). Whatever these individual kingdoms within the Cheng are called, the Ongsan are the smallest and the most neglected. Furthermore, Chuluun is actually a disgraced former champion of Sha Shao's. Lu Bei, king of the Ongsan, took him under his wing (to spite Sha Shao? compassion for Chuluun's plight? both?) and entered him into the tournament under the name of 'Wraith' Mosan and is also somehow disguised (a mask? or perhaps drastic facial surgery?). Needless to say, victory in the tournament would be redemption for Chuluun and a restoration of his lost honor.


Forbidden characters: None


Other characters:

  • Chosen by Alvyn: Runzhen, a veteran in his early 50's, uncle of Huanye Chanyu, one of the Cheng Kings and his Champion for the Tournament.
  • Chosen by Yadal: Yuezhi, of the Tuqi clan. The Tuqi are proud warrior nobles of the Kingdom of Modu, but Yuezhi has long been the black sheep of the family- ignoring Cheng customs, running away with a bride from another kingdom and nearly starting a war, and copying Imperial styles of fighting rather than Tuqi styles (technically he learned Zhao styles from a Zhao instructor- there he is known as Yue Zhi).


Established facts:

Meanwhile, in order to determine which Heroes can be best relied upon and to provide a peaceful outlet for the ego-based rivalries of Cheng Kings, Xiong Shang recommends a Tournament in which the great heroes of the Cheng can peacefully duel each other. Each of the sixteen Cheng Kings gets to name one Champion to represent them. The prize, meanwhile, consists of 300 pounds of gold (most Kings only have 600 pounds in their treasury, whilst Sha Shao has only 100!), a fiefdom of 500 households, and most prized of all- a legendary horse captured from a wandering "Hero"- the Yang Steed. Although no faster than a common horse, the Yang Steed is said to be able to shatter any blade, spearhead or arrow sent against it without even flinching...


Setting the Scene:

The arena is a large plain, bordered on all sides by markers. Around the plain on three sides are the chairs of the sixteen Cheng Kings and their High King, along with a massive crowd. A massive pile of gold, combined with the captured Yang steed, is on the fourth side to remind the competitors of what they fight for (along with the glory).

Weapons are blunted, but in the traditional Cheng style the only way to win the match (unless your opponent concedes or runs away) is to make them fall unconscious. Lots have already been drawn to decide who fights whom- the competitors themselves sit by their Kings until it is time to fight.

(EDIT: After checking with somebody I know, decided bludgeoning to unconscious wasn't realistic. Maybe we'll simply go with as many concessions as necessary to make it realistic) --Yadal


Reveal thoughts:

Yuezhi is completely confident (in fact, definitely overconfident) of victory- he's been training intensely in dodges to Cheng-style attacks, whilst adapting Zhao-style attacks to make counterattacks his opponents would not have seen before. Frankly, he thinks he'd spent too much time training- however, pretty much the entire Tuqi clan insisted that he train intensely so as not to discredit them. (Yadal)

Runzhen is skeptical of the Cheng's chances of taking back the lands the Empire stole from them and he has a personal distaste for Sha Shao. He is only competing because he is loyal to his nephew, the King, who is all fired up about this initiative and because he covets the prizes. He is a cautious and canny fighter, however and he does not underestimate anyone in the Tournament. (Alvyn)

Tan Xin has long been respected as a warrior of great bravery and skill. Yet despite his reputation, he has never been more than a "second lieutenant" among any of the Cheng kings that he has served under. Others would say (not to his face, of course) that this was because he was too quick to anger, too easily offended, and too jealous of his fellow warriors to work in a team or to command the respect that a king deserves. But Tan Xin blames his failure to rise to the heights of Cheng rule on the weak-willed leaders of this current generation. They have been corrupted by the effete ways of the Empire and impress their followers with clever words rather than battle prowess. Tan Xin views this tournament as his last chance to show the Cheng people a true hero worthy of their ancestors. The Empire is weak and Tan Xin is the one man who can lead the Cheng to victory! (Glyptodont)

Thoughts Revealed for Chuluun Bao: "I mask myself not only with my turban cloths, but also by altering my fighting style...making it more flashy and dramatic instead of being characterized by the economy of motion that distinguished my technique. Only when I have risen up the ranks, becoming one of the last remaining combatants and have my match attended by Sha Shao himself, shall I reveal myself and my honor shall be restored!" (Tedster)


Playing the Scene:

(TO BE CONTINUED...)


World of Heroes Wiki Main Page